Somebody's waiting for your love
No one beside the four Kiss members seemed to know what the new roadie Eric Tyler actually had to do. He just was there. Whenever someone in the team needed a helping hand he was the first one to come. And besides he was around with the band even more often than their manager.
They just had changed his last name so that they still could call him Eric. His hair now was cut to chin length and coloured light brown and he always was wearing sunglasses.
Gene was on his way to the studio although it still was very early in the morning. They still had to do some rehearsals and a lot of recording for their new album.
“Morning, little caesar”, he greeted before he even had entered the room. He didn’t need to see if Eric really was there because he knew it for sure. Wherever he was going the Fox was already there. Maybe he should start to think if there really was just one Eric Carr existing.
“Oh, hi Geno. I just worked on this text. And I played on your bass a bit. I hope this is not a problem.”
Gene slightly smiled. He had given him his allowance weeks ago and still Eric did as if he had caught him on something illegal.
“And what a big problem that is.” He placed a quick kiss on Eric’s lips. “I will have to think about a proper punishment.”
Then he noticed the other’s gaze. “Is something bothering you? You look kinda sad.”
The Fox shrugged. “Well, it’s just… I hate this whole hiding. I know, you can’t just tell the world that Eric Carr has risen from the dead but that’s not the only thing. I also hate hiding my feelings.”
“It would also sound strange to the people if the great Gene Simmons is in love with a guy. I have an image to lose.”
“Just because of your image? Not even your family?”
“Believe me, Shannon would think I’m crazy – or lying – if I told her I never cheated on her. She knows me, she knows my job and a few groupies are allowed. Not that you are just a groupie”, he quickly added.
“I wished we could at least tell it to our friends. At least to Paul. I know we could trust him that he would never say anything to anyone. Maybe he might already know it.”
“I don’t think Paul would read our minds.”
“He’s your best friend. I think he can feel that there’s something going on. Gene, I don’t want to be just your dirty little secret anymore.”
Gene sighed. “I don’t want to tell anyone. Not even Paul. I sure trust him but it still can happen that something slips out of him accidentally.”
Eric just nodded but it didn’t look as If he wanted to give up on that topic so fast.
“Listen”, Gene changed the topic, “What do you think about going to some clubs together after we’re done here for today. Or we can just go to any ice cream salon. Whatever you want.”
The Fox finally gave it up, at least for now. “Okay, sounds fine to me.”
~~~***~~~
It was just past midnight when the two were walking back home again. Still too early but they both knew they would curse the next day thanks to a lack of sleep. Getting up early in the morning and staying up late in the evening never was a good combination.
Gene had insisted on accompanying Eric back to the hotel where he was living at the moment. The Fox was a grown-up man but still Gene would have felt bad if he had let him wander around in the darkness all alone.
It was a chilly night although the evening had been mild and now it also started raining.
“Oh great”, Gene muttered. “And no one has an umbrella.”
“Oh please, it’s just some water. Or are you made of sugar?” Eric laughed. “Or are we just a little crybaby that’s afraid of water?”
“Mind your words or the Demon will get you”, Gene said with a grin.
“Aw, then let’s see if the demon is fast enough to catch me.” With that he started running, the other one close behind.
It didn’t take too long for Gene to get close enough and grab Eric’s arm.
“Gotcha!”
For some seconds they were just standing there in the rain panting.
“So what will be your punishment for my sassy words, oh demon?”
“Hm, don’t know.” He placed a quick kiss on Eric’s lips. “But first I will have to get you in there”, he nodded to the entrance of the hotel not too far away, “not that you’ll get a cold.”
“And what about you? We’re both soaking wet? It doesn’t really matter anymore. Besides when we enter the hotel lobby people will see us and I won’t be able to do that anymore.”
Eric stood on the tips of his toes, dragged the other down a bit and gave him a passionate, yet soft kiss.
Had he ever kissed someone in the pouring rain? Gene didn’t know it anymore, couldn’t remember. All his brain was filled with at the moment was standing right in front of him. He wished that he wouldn’t have to leave already, wished that they could have stayed together the whole night. Not now, not yet.
After a few more seconds they separated again.
“Good night”, Eric whispered, “See you tomorrow.”
Gene stood there and watched him leave, still looked at the doors some time after they had closed behind the Fox. He wasn’t sure about this last gaze Eric gave him shortly before he entered the hotel. Hadn’t there been a hint in his eyes? As if he was planning something? But then again Gene could also be wrong. He just shrugged it off and decided to go home as well.
~~~***~~~
It was time for another rehearsal. The melody to that song still sounded worse than it did in Gene’s head.
Eric still hadn’t shown up and at first the Demon was a bit worried but then Paul told him that he had seen the Fox earlier that morning so he had to be in the same building at least.
They had already decided to take a break when Eric finally came in.
“Hey, little caesar, where have you been? We already missed you”, Gene said. Then he noticed the same strange gaze he had the night before.
Without saying a word the Fox went over to Gene and gave him a kiss.
The Demon stood like stunned. Part of him desperately wanted to return the kiss but the rest was alarming him that there still were three persons watching. He pushed the other away, maybe a bit too brutally.
“Fuck, Eric! That’s disgusting!”
He could have cursed his words the second they were out. Eric looked at him hurt, then turned and ran away.
Fuck. Why on earth had he done this? Gene felt a hand on his shoulder.
“You should go after him”, Paul said.
“But…” he looked over to Ace and Peter who still blinked at him stupidly.
“I’ll take care of that. It’s still morning, they still had no coffee and it all happened too fast. Maybe I can tell them that it was just some stupid idea on Eric’s side, you’re out to get your revenge and right now I’m just holding you back to give Eric some seconds of headstart. And now go.”
Gene gave him a thankful smile and ran out of the room as well. Had Eric been right and the Starchild had already known it for some time or did he just get the message faster than Peter and Ace? But that didn’t really matter right now. He still could hear the Fox running then heard a door being slammed. It didn’t sound like any of the exit doors. Gene only had to pen a few doors to find Eric in an empty rehearsal room.
It seemed like he had wanted the demon to follow him, else he would have taken the straight way out instead of standing in the middle of a room. He had crossed his arms and turned back to the door.
Gene locked the door after he had come in. He didn’t want anyone to disturb them in their private talk.
“So I’m disgusting, huh?”
“Eric… I didn’t want to say that. It was out before I could think about something else to say and I feel so sorry for that. But why on earth have you done that?”
“I … you know that I don’t want to hide everything and anything anymore, at least not from our friends. What else could I have done to tell them what I feel for you?” He finally turned around and looked into the others face. His eyes had started flickering but he chocked back his tears so far. “When I came to the band the first time I had to hide my persona as well, okay, but at least not from my family and my closest friends and I could openly show the world what I felt. And now? Now I have to play the role of another person, I’m not allowed to see my family and most of my friends and I can’t even show my feelings to the only friends who are allowed to know who I really am. That bit of hiding during my old life was hard enough and I don’t want to repeat it in my new life.”
“I know. I also finally want to tell the world who’s back but the time hasn’t come yet. It still would be too early. But we will do that for sure. Only our love will have to stay a secret.”
Eric tried a little smile. “I never wanted to make that public. But at least the others know about it now.”
“Yeah, unless Paul’s plan works. But he knows for sure.”
For some seconds they just looked into each other’s eyes. Eric’s lips still were trembling but at least his anger seemed to have disappeared. Then Gene pulled him into embracement.
“Oh come here, little caesar.”
The Fox buried his face in the other’s shoulder. Gene carefully stroke through his hair.
“Everything will be alright. I promise we won’t wait for too long anymore until we introduce the revived Eric Carr to the world.”
~~~***~~~
It was hard to tell if Peter had believed Paul’s version of the whole story or if he had decided to live with the truth. For Ace it was to say either he had forgotten what had happened earlier or he didn’t want to think about it any further. Anyways Gene was relieved that they didn’t talk about it anymore. The day continued and ended unspectacular. Gene wanted to ask Eric out again but he already felt too tired and wanted to go back to the hotel so the Demon just accompanied him there and then went home as well.
This morning Gene shot out of his sleep as if a canon had been fired next to him. The alarm clock told him that there were just five minutes left until it would have gone off but he hadn’t woken up because it was close to his usual wake-up time. Something bad was going on, he could feel it. This time he grabbed his talisman before he left the house and headed for the studios because something inside of him told him he would really need demon power.
On his way he met the Starchild in full warpaint, the talisman hanging around his neck and before they could enter the building Ace and Peter teleported there as well. They all had had the same feeling that had led them here.
The first thing they noticed was the complete silence. There were no other people in building except two.
“Have you already missed me?”
The Dark Czar was standing at the end of the corridor, his hand in a tight grip around Eric’s arm.
